As the Wilson Center celebrates its 50th anniversary, Wilson Center NOW looks back at the Center’s history with Robert S. Litwak, Senior Vice President and Director of International Security Studies. From the vantage point of Litwak's more than three-decade career at the Center, we discuss the organization’s impact and relevance past, present, and future. We also learn about what sets the Wilson Center apart from other DC institutions and how it has evolved since its founding in October of 1968.

Water is critical: it grows our food, generates our energy, and ensures our prosperity. To address the challenges that stand in the way of building healthy, prosperous, and peaceful communities, we must first tackle the challenge of water insecurity.

From idea to reality, from the Smithsonian Castle to Pennsylvania Avenue, and from traditional research to a modern, digital presence, the Wilson Center has expanded and evolved over its 50 years. Former Deputy Director Samuel Wells traces the life of this “living memorial” in three short videos.

Today, the Wilson Center has reached a milestone. Exactly fifty years ago, on October 24, we received a Congressional mandate to open our doors to Washington and the world. Along with that mandate, we had a vision to bridge the domains of scholarship and policymaking for the public good.

In celebration of our 50th anniversary, the Wilson Center convened distinguished experts and prominent Center alumni to explore the relevance of President Woodrow Wilson’s international and domestic record for today.

To what extent is the 28th president’s vision for world order still applicable in the face of the profound shifts that the international system is undergoing at present? Are there lessons to be learned from his domestic policy accomplishments and failures?

The Wilson Center, chartered by Congress as the living memorial to President Woodrow Wilson, is the nation’s key non-partisan policy forum. In tackling global issues through independent research and open dialogue, the Center informs actionable ideas for Congress, the administration, and the broader policy community.